Frankie Month 2016 is just around the corner!

May is just around the corner…

… and that means FRANKIE MONTH!

Frankie Manning’s birthday is May 26th but his birthdays never could be contained to just a single day of celebration. Let’s use the entire month of May to honor Frankie’s contributions to lindy hop and his positive spirit.

Every May, celebrate Frankie Month in your home town:

Party like Frankie! Throw a swingin’ birthday party or a lindy hop dance that Frankie would have enjoyed.

Play the music of the Savoy Ballroom and the big bands of the swing era.

Hold Frankie Manning inspired dance classes and workshops.

Share Frankie videos and stories.

Raise funds so that the Frankie Manning Foundation can continue Frankie’s mission.

On Frankie’s actual birthday, May 26th, celebrate lindy hop and the swing era by donning your favourite swing threads. Whether that means capturing the spirit of the Savoy Ballroom in its 1920-50s pomp or simply wearing your favorite event t-shirt, the choice is yours. Have your photo taken at work, in your office, at your desk, at a cafe, on the street or wherever you may go and use the hashtag #TheLindyLook to share it on social media. More details here.

Change your Profile Picture

If you were lucky enough to ever have your photo taken with Frankie, make it your profile photo on Facebook and on other social media platforms in May. Or, capture your love for lindy hop in your profile photo in another way with your favorite dancing photo, swing pose, or in your best swing outfit.

Stay Tuned

Stay tuned for a special Frankie Month video project presented by Sing Lim coming in May… and some big surprizes!

The Spirit of Frankie Month

In the spirit of Frankie, we encourage you to:

Collaborate and make it inclusive within your community.

Contact other dancers and local organizers and work together to make it a celebration that unites all dancers in your community.

Promote the spirit of Frankie with these values:

respect

generosity

inclusivity

humbleness

joy

authenticity to the roots of the dance

Consider donating proceeds from your Frankie Month activities to the Frankie Manning Foundation. The Frankie Manning Foundation preserves Frankie’s legacy and promotes lindy hop worldwide through events and celebrations, as well ambassador programs, scholarships and youth initiatives. The Frankie Manning Foundation relies on donations to achieve these missions. Events that make a donation to the Frankie Manning Foundation will receive special recognition on our website as all donations help to realize Frankie’s dreams in projects such as scholarships and youth programming. Contributing events will receive special recognition on our website.

Featured Blog Posts

The Frankie Manning Foundation only came into existence six years ago, but today it is at the forefront of the global swing dance scene. Frankie Manning was one of the originators of the lindy hop at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, and he later played a pivotal role in the swing dance revival, when young dancers sought him out to learn the art of lindy hop. Mr. Manning, who passed away in 2009, left behind an extensive dance legacy, as well as a memoir co-written with Cynthia Millman that has been translated into several languages.

The Foundation preserves Mr. Manning’s life work as defined in their vision, mission, and value statements…